Sweeney on North Jersey support for Murphy: 'This is all speculation'

TRENTON — Senate President Stephen Sweeney says he’s not concerned as his biggest Democratic rival for governor in 2017 appears to be wrapping up crucial support in North Jersey.

The Democratic chairmen in Bergen, Hudson and Passaic Counties plan to announce their support for Murphy Thursday, as does Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. And according to PolitickerNJ, the chairman of Democratic vote-rich Essex County is expected to follow on Friday.

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None of it is official. Yet.

“This is all speculation,” Sweeney, who has not officially declared he’s running for governor despite preparing for a campaign, said from the Senate floor. “People are trying to force the issues.”

“Look, I haven’t even decided what I’m doing yet, but to be honest with you, I’m not even concerned about it,” Sweeney said. “I thought I was starting off with 30 percent. You need to get to 51. There’s a whole part of the state. There’s a whole central part of the state. And everything up north is not locked up solid.”

Three Democratic Essex County senators who were known to be in Murphy’s camp, but hadn’t said so formally, also announced their support Wednesday: Richard Codey, Ronald Rice and Nia Gill.

"Everyone who meets Phil knows straight-away that he is the real deal,” Codey said in a statement.

Since Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop’s shocking announcement last week that he would not run for governor, party leaders Fulop and Murphy were competing for have flooded to Murphy. A potential Sweeney strategy of taking advantage of split North Jersey support while capturing part of Essex County and maintaining a unified south dissolved.

Sweeney, whose patron is South Jersey Democratic power broker George Nocross, would have South Jersey Democrats in his corner for a gubernatorial bid. But that’s not enough to counter a united North Jersey that’s more populous and more Democratic.

If Murphy is able to get the “county line” that provides favorable ballot placement in Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Bergen Counties — along with several more important Democratic counties that would likely follow — it would be a nearly insurmountable advantage.

Meanwhile, private sector labor unions that have been the backbone of Sweeney’s support have been issuing statements urging him to enter the race “immediately.”

On Wednesday, the Building Trades — which has long supported Sweeney’s potential bid — issued a statement saying urging Sweeney to run, joined by the Atlantic City casino workers’ union, Unite Here Local 54, United Food and Commercial Workers and United Auto Workers.